WNS Confirmed in Georgia

[David Riggs]

Georgia becomes the 22nd US state confirmed White-Nose Syndrome
positive. GA DNR officials found obvious fungus on a number of
Tri-Colored Bats in two Lookout Mountain caves, in Dade County along
the Tennessee border, including Sitton's Cave on Cloudland Canyon
State Park. Bats tested positive for WNS via histopathology. Of note
is that they claim only six dead bats found in Sitton's Cave, though
approximately 1/3 of the live bats "showed signs of" WNS; NPS
officials state that no mass-mortality is yet observed in the cave on
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

- DR


See: http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/3245
See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq/sets/72157632946494549/with/8540257258/


Disease Deadly to Bats Confirmed in Georgia
ATLANTA, Ga. (3/12/2013)

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that bats with
white-nose syndrome were found recently at two caves in Dade County.

A National Park Service biologist and volunteers discovered about 15
tri-colored bats with visible white-nose symptoms in a Lookout
Mountain Cave at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in
late February. On March 5, a group led by a Georgia DNR biologist also
found tri-colored bats with visible symptoms in Sittons Cave at
Cloudland Canyon State Park.

A bat from each northwest Georgia site was sent to the Southeastern
Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens. Histopathology confirmed
both bats had white-nose syndrome.

“We’ve been expecting the discovery of WNS in Georgia after it was
confirmed in Tennessee and Alabama counties last season,” said Trina
Morris, DNR wildlife biologist. “Still, I don’t think anyone can
prepare themselves to see it for the first time.”

To address the threat of WNS, Georgia DNR’s Wildlife Resources
Division has been conducting more surveys to better assess bat
populations, while limiting scientific activities in caves, actions
outlined in the state’s White-nose Syndrome Response Plan
<http://www.georgiawildlife.com/WNS>. Biologists have worked with
cavers, cave owners and conservation organizations to raise awareness
about limiting trips into caves and following national decontamination
protocols <http://whitenosesyndrome.org> for disinfecting clothes and
gear.

DNR is urging cavers to reduce trips to Georgia caves and follow
federal guidelines for disinfecting clothes and gear. Sittons Cave is
currently closed to the public for the winter to prevent disturbance
to hibernating bats at the site. About 15 percent of Georgia’s caves
are on state-managed lands.

The National Park Service closed all caves at Chickamauga and
Chattanooga National Military Park to the public in 2009 in an attempt
to reduce the chance of importation of the white-nose pathogen. Park
caves will remain closed to minimize the risk of spreading the disease
to other areas.

The National Park Service has seen no evidence of mass mortality in
bats due to WNS at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
About six dead bats were found at Sittons, although the cause of
death was not determined. Researchers estimate that a third of the
some 1,600 live bats seen in the cave showed signs of white-nose.

Georgia has few known large hibernacula, or hibernation areas. Yet WNS
poses a significant threat to the 16 bats species in the state. Of
nine species confirmed with either the disease or the fungus so far,
eight are found in Georgia. Two, the Indiana and gray bats, are
federally endangered species. One, the small-footed myotis, is
state-listed as a species of concern.



--
David A. Riggs
Myotisoft, LLC
463 Oak Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
http://www.myotisoft.com
dri...@myotisoft.com
(304) 685-7537